Project Details
Projekt
Tomographic microstructures and fabrics of ODP Leg 204 gas hydrates in relation to formation conditions in marine sediments.
Applicant
Professor Dr. Gerhard Bohrmann
Subject Area
Palaeontology
Term
from 2010 to 2015
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 181012476
We propose to investigate the depth and pressure dependency of gas hydrates microstructure and fabric of gas hydrates in cores of ODP Leg 204. The relation of gas bubbles, sediment properties and gas hydrates will be explored. We hypothesize that the fabric of the hydrates is influenced by the overburden pressure, whereas the crystal size is controlled by material transport between hydrate crystals, leading to larger crystals. A key method will be micro-tomography, exploring the three dimensional architecture of hydrates on a (sub-) micrometer range. Combining this method together with high-resolution synchrotron diffraction techniques, cryo-SEM and Raman spectroscopy we are confident to characterize gas hydrate precipitates in various depth levels which were formed by different mechanisms. More than 50 sample intervals from six drill sites at Hydrate Ridge are available covering the entire hydrate stability zone. By that, the samples constitute a unique scientific collection allowing for both high-resolved and depth-related analyses. We will compare our results to those of other hydrate deposits in the world and hope to get a much deeper insight into the microfabrics of hydrates in general.
DFG Programme
Infrastructure Priority Programmes
